It is being reported that the new Virginia Governor, Glenn Youngkin (R) is banning Critical Race Theory by executive order. Axios reports the popular talking point that CRT is from the 1970s and rarely taught in schools anyway. However, in the same story, they report that it may face legal challenges and pushback from state lawmakers.
What we’re unsure of is how something that isn’t happening, to begin with, can be legally challenged when it’s ordered to stop? Nevertheless, this is what is happening in Virginia. 10 other orders were issued by Youngkin.
From NBC 12:
Executive Orders:
- Executive Order Number One delivers on his Day One promise to restore excellence in education by ending the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education.
- Executive Order Number Two delivers on his Day One promise to empower Virginia parents in their children’s education and upbringing by allowing parents to make decisions on whether their child wears a mask in school.
- Executive Order Number Three delivers on his Day One promise to restore integrity and confidence in the Parole Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Executive Order Number Four delivers on his Day One promise to investigate wrongdoing in Loudoun County.
- Executive Order Number Five delivers on his Day One promise to make government work for Virginians by creating the Commonwealth Chief Transformation Officer.
- Executive Order Number Six delivers on his Day One promise to declare Virginia open for business.
- Executive Order Number Seven delivers on his Day One promise to combat and prevent human trafficking and provide support to survivors.
- Executive Order Number Eight delivers on his Day One promise to establish a commission to combat antisemitism.
- Executive Order Number Nine delivers on his Day One promise to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
- Executive Directives:
- Executive Directive Number One delivers on his fulfilling his Day One promise to jumpstart our economy by cutting job-killing regulations by 25 percent.
- Executive Directive Number Two delivers on his fulfilling his Day One promise to restore individual freedoms and personal privacy by rescinding the vaccine mandate for all state employees.
It appears that in addition to the EO, some Virginia legislators want to ban CRT officially as well:
“Virginia legislators have introduced a bill to ban critical race theory indoctrination and provide parents with curriculum transparency. If a school knowingly violates the law, families can take their education dollars elsewhere—a win for school choice.”
Virginia legislators have introduced a bill to ban critical race theory indoctrination and provide parents with curriculum transparency. If a school knowingly violates the law, families can take their education dollars elsewhere—a win for school choice. pic.twitter.com/1e9UUJkoRK
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) January 14, 2022
Time will tell how Democrats push back. Meanwhile, Virginia Republicans, although they aren’t getting everything they wanted from Youngkin such as defending historical monuments, are breathing a sigh of relief to some degree after yesterday.
This is because the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General are all Republicans now, and the state house is now back in the hands of the GOP as well.
Democrats are reportedly unhappy that Youngkin is not carrying on the legacy that was installed during Ralph Northam’s term as Governor. What do they expect? He was elected by the people and is not a Democrat.
